Hoosier Votes Might Decide Senate Control

A lot of people I’ve talked to have told me their vote for president doesn’t matter that much since Indiana’s a not a swing state (we break 53-39 for Romney). While that may be true, an equally important Senate battle is playing out right under our noses.

Now I know what you’re thinking: “Senators are not nearly as important as the President of the United States!” But that’s where you’d be wrong. This cycle has given Republicans the chance to take the Senate as well as the White House, and both are needed to, say, repeal Obamacare. Up until a few months ago, the goal of taking the Senate seemed within reach, but due to a poor showing by candidates in some easy pickup states, that mission is in danger.

Give credit where it’s due: despite running in a solidly red state, Donnelly has managed to make the race competitive, mostly by running away from his party and his record in congress. A RealClearPolitics poll has Mourdock just barely holding off Donnelly by 1-2% – essentially the margin of error.

So if you don’t think your vote for president matters much, you might be right. But control of the senate rests in Indiana’s hands. If that’s not a good reason to get off your couch and go vote, I don’t know what is.